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Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang
Studying so much had its consequences. It caused me to wonder, for instance, if I might be a genius. Bursting with wry humor and insight Joan Is Okay makes for a quick and quirky read about a woman who doesn’t want to change to fit in with society’s standards. In spite of what the people…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, Adult, America, American, American dream, asian american, China, chinese american author, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, doctors, family, female authors, GRIEF, HOSPITAL, HUMOR, intergenerational, introspective, Joan Is Okay, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, medical, mental health, migration/immigration, Neurodiversity, NEW YORK, pandemic, published in 2022, quirky reads, read in 2022, sardonic humor, siblings, SLICE OF LIFE, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, weike wang, work culture -
The Four Humors by Mina Seckin
“THE FOUR HUMORS THAT PUMP THROUGH MY BODY DETERMINE my character, temperament, mood. Blood, phlegm, black bile, and choler. The excess or lack of these bodily fluids designates how a person should be.” The Four Humors is a rather milquetoast addition to the young-alienated-women subgenre that has become all the vogue in the last few…
3 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, America, American, anxiety, atmospheric, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, break-ups, chronic pain, cold tone, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, DEATH, DEPRESSION, eating disorders, ennui, family, female authors, GRIEF, illness, introspective, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, medical, mental health, midlife crisis, Mina Seckin, mumblecore, My reviews, navel gazing, obsession, published in 2021, read in 2022, reading, sardonic humor, self-destructive, SISTERS, slow pacing, strong sense of place, Summer, summer reads, The Four Humors, Turkey, turkish american author -
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
“I thought a polished appearance and stellar behavior would be the passport to belonging. And when I inevitably failed at perfection, I could at least wilfully do everything in my power to be kicked out before anyone left me.” tw: eating disorders Bursting with sharp humor and insight Yolk is a bighearted and profoundly honest…
1st pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, America, American, body dysmorphia, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cancer, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, eating disorders, family, favourite authors, female authors, food & cooking, identity, illness, intergenerational, introspective, Korea, Korean, korean american author, Mary H.K. Choi, mental health, migration/immigration, My reviews, NEW ADULT, NEW YORK, published in 2021, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, ROMANCE, sardonic humor, SISTERS, social media, texas, the female malaise, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, Yolk, YOUNG ADULT -
Severance by Ling Ma
“To live in a city is to take part in and to propagate its impossible systems. To wake up. To go to work in the morning. It is also to take pleasure in those systems because, otherwise, who could repeat the same routines, year in, year out?” Severance is an engrossing and, given the…
1st pov, 4 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, apocalyptic, asian american, China, chinese american author, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, dark humor, ennui, female authors, illness, Ling Ma, LITERARY FICTION, migration/immigration, millennial, mumblecore, near future/alternate reality, NEW YORK, no quotations marks, office, pandemic, post-apocalyptic, pregnancy, published in 2018, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2022, sardonic humor, satire, Severance, SPECULATIVE FICTION, surreal, survival, the female malaise, work culture